Physical Description:
Vultures have no hair on their head or neck, a thick strong bill, short
thick claws, and large broad wings, about 32 inches in length. Wing
feathers, and back side are black; the head is orange, red, and blue; and
the upper shoulders of the bird are mostly white.

General Information:
Not much is known about king vultures. They live to about 30 years
in captivity. They are ground nesters and frequently nest under hanging
rocks. Vultures spend much of their time in the sun or preening their
wings. The incubation period is approximately 32-38 days and they
only lay about two eggs. The males and females take turns with the
incubation. Vultures become sexually mature after 4 to 5 years.
Evidence of vultures have been seen in early civilizations. Maya's
included them in their gliphic writing system, with the bird representing
the King. Rural South Americans believed that if the shadow of the
vulture fell on a person, they would suffer a misfortune or death.
The blood and feathers of vultures were used to ward off diseases in Native
American cultures.

Special Anatomical, Physiological or Behavioral Adaptations:

Vultures have larger olfactory glands than most birds.
They easily find food in heavily forested areas by following other smaller
vultures to their food.. Does not have a syrinx and can only grunt,
cackle, or hiss. Has short blunt claws that are not used for catching
prey, but used for walking. The head is bald so that it is easily
cleaned when devouring prey. The beak is used to tear through hides,
ligaments and cartilage. The tongue is rasp like and helps to pull
the flesh from the bones. King Vultures do not have feathers on
their head to help stay clean by keeping most of the blood and body materials
off of their body. They also sit out in the sun after eating and
use the heat for the sun to help kill bacteria.

Comments About the King Vultures of the Fort Worth Zoo:
There is a breeding pair of king vultures at the Fort Worth Zoo. From what
I have seen at the Fort Worth Zoo, vultures seem to spend most of their
time perched on branches and watching their surroundings. They are
otherwise basically as described above.